Self Adhesive Se-tenant Strip of Five Stamps.
For a small
country, New Zealand has a diverse array of plants and animals that can not be
found anywhere else in the world. Unfortunately though, many of our animals
struggle to survive due to introduced predators, environmental changes and the
modernisation practices of man – as a result their numbers have dwindled to
such an extent that they are officially classified as ‘endangered’.
Luckily, New Zealand is a nation of
wildlife champions. We recognise and appreciate that these unique – and iconic
– animals are as much a part of our nation and nationhood as we are. In this
issue we celebrated their individuality, and their abundant charms with a
unique artistic range of five vibrant stamps. What makes these stamps stand out as different is the fact they are round rather than the usual rectangle.
The Stamps.
45c 'Tuatara'
self-adhesive stamp.
The
ugly-but-beautiful tuatara is proving a fascinating specimen for scientists
studying the evolution of lizards and snakes – the tuatara’s closest living
relatives. Tuatara are often referred to as ‘living reptiles’ because they have
remained mostly unchanged in their 200 million years of existence.
Single 90c
'Kiwi' self-adhesive stamp.
The kiwi is
perhaps New Zealand’s most recognisable icon – a flightless bird whose closest
relatives are the emu and the cassowaries. This shy, nocturnal creature is noted
for the proportions of its eggs, which can be up to a quarter the weight of the
female – and for its long beak, with nostrils at the end to help it sniff out
prey.
Single $1.35
'Hamilton’s frog' self-adhesive stamp.
The
Hamilton’s frog (Leiopelma hamilton) is named after Harold Hamilton,
who first collected the species. The Hamilton frog is one of only four
belonging to the ancient family and is found on only two small islands, in the
Marlborough Sounds.
Single $1.50
'Yellow-eyed penguin' self-adhesive stamp.
With a
current population of around 4,000, the yellow-eyed penguin (or hoiho) is one
of the world’s rarest penguin species. It is found only in southern New
Zealand, Foveaux Strait and on Stewart Island and the Auckland and Campbell
Islands. Solitary breeders, the penguins maintain the largest territory size of
any of their kind, sometimes up to one nest per hectare in forested areas.
Single $2.00
'Hector’s dolphin' self-adhesive stamp.
The Hector’s
dolphin is named after Sir James Hector, the curator of the Colonial Museum in
Wellington who examined the first specimen found. Today, this smallest
sea-living dolphin is also the rarest dolphin in the world, with three
genetically distinct populations.
First day cover with stamps affixed. Cancelled on the first day of issue - 7th March 2007.
Technical information
Date of issue: |
7 March 2007 |
Number of stamps: |
Five self-adhesive stamps |
Denominations and designs: |
45c, 90c, $1.35, $1.50, $2.00 |
Stamps and first day cover designed by: |
Peter Faulkner at Splashy, Hamilton, New Zealand |
Printer and process: |
Southern Colour Print, New Zealand by offset lithography |
Number of colours: |
Four process colours |
Stamp size and format: |
33mm diameter |
Paper type: |
Avery Dennison B90 PS1 Adhesive Kraft-back |
Number of stamps per sheet: |
25 |
Perforation gauge: |
Die cut |
Special blocks: |
Plate/imprint blocks could be obtained by purchasing at least six stamps from a sheet. Barcode blocks were available in both A and B formats. |
Period of sale: |
These stamps remained on sale until 6 March 2008 |
Some of the images in this post were used with permission from the illustrated catalogue of StampsNZ
Information for this post came from.
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